


Executive Actions

by GoAwayOlivia



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Capes, Assistant Jason Todd, CEO Tim Drake, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 18:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16310672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoAwayOlivia/pseuds/GoAwayOlivia
Summary: “I’m pretty sure extorting your boss is against company policy.”Jason rolled his eyes. “Only because the people who wrote it never had to babysit their boss.”Tim shot him a narrow-eyed look. “I can still fire you.”“You’re free to anytime you want, but good luck finding another assistant who can keep up with you.”





	Executive Actions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chibi_nightowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi_nightowl/gifts).



> Last year for her birthday 2017, chibi_nightowl requested an AU with Tim as a CEO and Jason as his assistant. Me, being my always prompt self sent it to her five months late. And now here we are, chibi's birthday 2018, and I'm finally posting it. One year late, to the day. 
> 
> So everyone enjoy chibi's 2017 birthday fic, and chibi, thanks for putting up with me, being a wonderful, glorious friend, and for editing your very late birthday fic, which is just totally above and beyond the call of friend duty.

Jason huffed as he checked his watch—his incredibly expensive Jaeger‑LeCoultre watch his boss had given him six months into the job. It was an utterly ridiculous gift. Who even needed one these days when everyone had smartphones? And his boss had already given him a brand new, top of the line Drake Industries phone, so the $5,000 watch seemed even more ridiculously frivolous.

Truth be told, Jason would have been annoyed by the gift, but it was actually one of the more practical and less expensive models of the brand, so he accepted it with a grimace. Even back then, six months had been enough time for him to recognize that, as the right hand of the CEO of Drake Industries, he needed to be able to fit into Tim’s world. He saw the watch, and the designer suits that had been delivered to his door his first week, as a sort of uniform and he still maintained that uniform two years later.

He could have refused it all. Tim wouldn’t care if he showed up in an off the rack suit and cheap ass shoes and no watch at all, as long as he met the dress code. Even the dress code was a sort of malleable thing to his boss, with their irregular hours and Tim’s unconventional sleeping schedule.

But Tim already dealt with enough shit, both with his own board of directors, and with other rich assholes outside the company. He was young and scrawny enough that he was rarely taken seriously; although he showed people rather quickly why that was the biggest mistake they’d ever make. Still, Jason didn’t want to make it worse for him. Not when Tim had taken such a big chance on him in the first place. If it weren’t for him, he would still be clawing his way out of Crime Alley and abject poverty.

Jason still thought of the day he met Tim as one of the luckiest days of his life.

_“Goddammit,” Jason grumbled in frustration, pushing his way into the coffee shop. He didn’t have five bucks to blow on fancy ass coffee, but he needed to borrow the WIFI so he spared a buck and change for a bottle of water instead._

_Job hunting wasn’t going well. Not that he expected it to, but he sort of hoped that if he came down to the nicer part of Gotham to show these rich snobby assholes in person that he could look and speak professionally despite having a Crime Alley address, he might have more luck. So far, he’d just gotten a shit ton of dismissals._

_He hunched at a table and pulled out his beat up, third hand laptop, waited the ten minutes for it to boot up and connect to the WIFI, and started searching for more options in the area. All he really wanted to do though was go back home and crawl into bed. Constant rejection was draining._

_On the table, his phone rang. Jason glanced at it before answering. He didn’t bother with a greeting. He rarely did with his best friend._

_“I should just take the garage job with you. I know enough about cars to do it decently. It’ll only take me… a few decades to pay off my student loans.”_

_“Going that well, huh?” Roy asked._

_Jason huffed. “It’s not going at all.”_

_“You can’t work in the garage, Jaybird,” Roy said seriously after a moment of silence. “I mean you could. You could do it well, but you are way too smart to only be a grease monkey. Always have been. You made it all the way through college and graduated with a shit ton of honors. Don’t give up now.”_

_“It means nothing, Roy,” Jason snapped in frustration, fisting a hand on the table. “What the fuck does it matter if I speak five languages or graduated at the top of my class or can speak without a lower Gotham accent? The address on my resume is still in Crime Alley and no one will give me a second glance, much less an actual interview.”_

_Roy hummed. “We need someone who lives outside of Crime Alley. If you had a different address to use, you could get a job in a heartbeat.”_

_And yeah, Jason had thought about it. He was positive he’d at least get an interview. But he didn’t have anyone outside of the shit parts of Gotham so what did it matter?_

_“Who?” Jason asked, defeated. “Everyone we know lives in Crime Alley or the Bowery.”_

_“Everyone you know, not everyone I know.”_

_Jason frowned. Roy didn’t talk much about his life before he landed as a washed up junkie on Jason’s doorstep. He knew the story and Roy mentioned it every now and then, but even since he’d gotten clean, his best friend didn’t like talking about his life before that. He wanted to leave it all buried so the fact that he’d even offer something like this was huge._

_“Roy, you don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to do that. I’ll find something. Don’t jump on that grenade on my account.”_

_“It’s not a grenade, Jaybird. I don’t know that anyone would even answer a call from me anyway, but it might be worth a shot, you know?”_

_“Just… let’s give it another week or so. We can discuss this more then.”_

_There was silence on the line before Roy agreed. “Okay. One more week. But you know I don’t mind, Jaybird. It’d be worth it. You’re too smart for the garage.”_

_“That’s rich coming from you,” Jason retorted pointedly, because Roy was one of the most brilliant people he had ever met. It was one of the things that drew them together in the first place. But Roy hadn’t ever shown any interest in anything other than working on cars and tinkering with weird shit in his off time._

_“I have no idea what you mean,” Roy replied airily before adding. “I’ll see you tonight. Maybe I can get us something decent for dinner.”_

_“Don’t waste the money. I can cobble together something. See you tonight.”_

_He hung up the phone and let his head slump down onto the table. A moment later a voice spoke with a slight Bristol accent. “Is this seat taken?”_

_Jason opened his eyes and shifted his head on the table so he could see who was intruding on his misery. He stared a moment in surprise, swearing the guy was a teenager, with that face and those lanky limbs, but even so, the suit he was wearing probably cost more money than Jason could get his hands on in five years. There was also something vaguely familiar about him too, but he couldn’t put his finger on what._

_“No,” Jason answered, picking his head up and looking around rather pointedly. “But neither is any other chair in this place.” Well, there were a couple of people sitting in the back, but the vast majority of the shop was empty._

_The kid just smiled and sat down. “I’m Tim.”_

_Jason’s eyebrows furrowed. “Jason,” he replied. “Is there something I can help you with, Tim?”_

_“Maybe,” the kid said, the side of his mouth quirking up a little. “I’m looking for an executive assistant, actually. Do you really speak five languages?”_

_Jason’s eyebrows shot up. An executive assistant? What the hell kind of teenager needed an executive assistant. “Yeah,” he managed to answer through his bewilderment. “I learned a couple growing up. It’s pretty easy for me to pick them up now.”_

_Tim nodded. “Do you have a resume?”_

_Jason gave him another long, bewildered look before pulling out one of the copies from his worn-out bag. He had no idea what the kid was after. He’d clearly been listening to his phone conversation, so he heard the accent he hadn’t bothered hiding and knew which part of Gotham he came from. And again, he was a_ teenager _. Or recently out of his teens at the very least. Why would someone at least a few years younger than him need an executive assistant?_

_Well… if he paid, it wasn’t like Jason was going to say no. Still, he couldn’t imagine that the kid would seriously consider hiring him._

_Tim spent a few moments looking over Jason’s resume with an intent expression, flipping to the second page and back again. When he looked up, there was a hard edge to his expression. “They’re idiots.”_

_Jason blinked. “Who?”_

_“Every other person that’s looked at this and said no.” Then he plowed on before Jason could ask what the hell he was talking about. “You have a double major in Linguistics and Finance. Two extremely different things, but you excelled at both of them.”_

_Jason shrugged. “Since you were apparently listening in on my conversation, then you already know why that doesn’t mean anything. No self-respecting business is going to hire a nobody out of Crime Alley.”_

_“That’s why they’re idiots,” Tim said firmly. “The grades prove your smart. Accomplishing what you have while coming from Crime Alley, that proves you’re_ intelligent _. Resourceful. That you persevere. And that you can problem solve like no one’s business.” He quirked a small smile. “That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”_

_Jason frowned skeptically. “You’re serious. You want to hire me.”_

_Tim smiled. “Yes. Tim Drake. Nice to meet you.”_

_Jason’s eyes shot wide and he nearly fell out of his chair. “Tim Drake? The new CEO of Drake Industries._ That _Tim Drake?”_

_“That’s the one. So, what do you say? You want the job?”_

_There was really only one way to answer that question. “Fuck yes.”_

Tim had given Jason a once in a lifetime chance, and now, two years later, he wore the suits, the watch, the shoes. He smoothed out his Crime Alley accent, ignored the urges to sneer and make smartass remarks whenever dealing with rich assholes, and he looked after his boss to the best of his ability.

Which was perhaps the most challenging part of all.

He checked the time again, but it still read 9:33 pm, and a quick glance through Tim’s open office door showed that his boss was still hunched over his desk, meticulously going through the last minute motion put forward by William Randall, the chairman of the board, to be voted on at the board meeting in the morning. It was a dirty move by a real fucking asshole, and Tim was determined to find whatever the hell Randall had tried to sneak into the motion so he could call the man out on it before the vote.

William Randall was voted chairman of the board shortly after Tim’s parents died when he was thirteen. He’d maintained the position, using the company for his own gains ever since. The company’s interim CEO had been Randall’s puppet, and ever since Tim was legally allowed to take over the job when he turned 21, there’d been a silent war for power going on under the surface. They were close though. Two years of hard work had allowed Tim to get rid of a few board members loyal to Randall and replace them with people he could count on. It wouldn’t be much longer before they were able to oust him all together, but the snake could sense his days were numbered and was fighting back viciously. Jason couldn’t wait for the son of a bitch to be gone. There was no doubt that Tim would be voted the new Chairman of the Board and then full control of Drake Industries would finally be in his hands. Then maybe he’d sleep some more, eat actual meals, and make Jason’s job a thousand times easier.

He sighed as he considered his options. There were times to badger Tim, meet every bit of his stubbornness with his own iron will and force the young CEO out of the office and off to the relative peace of his townhouse for rest and sustenance. Then there were times to stick it out with his boss, let him work through the frenzy and do his best to provide the man with food, water, coffee, and the eventual ride home. Considering what was at stake, this was a time for the latter.

Jason pulled out the menus for their local favorites that were always willing to deliver even at obscene hours. The trick was finding something that took very little concentration to eat. When in the thick of things, it wasn’t just enough to remind Tim to eat. He had learned that lesson quickly.

Tim forgot things like food and sleep existed but reminding him of their existence did nothing. To him, food was not more important than work, so there was no chance he’d break his concentration, stop, and actually eat. And even when food was put in front of him, it didn’t always work, not if it took his focus away from what he was doing.

So Jason settled on sushi. It was relatively mess free and easy enough for Tim to eat when distracted, only requiring one hand. A quick call ensured their usual order would be delivered soon. Satisfied, he moved to coffee and after a few minutes he carried the two mugs into Tim’s office.

The smell had the younger man perking up immediately. “Coffee?” he asked, tired but hopeful with his eyes red and bleary from the intensive study of the ridiculously lengthy document.

“Conditional coffee,” Jason corrected shortly.

Tim’s hopeful expression immediately shuttered. “I don’t have time for this, Jason. I have to figure out what Randall’s after before the meeting in the morning and I’m barely a third of the way through this ridiculous shit,” he grumbled.

Jason wasn’t cowed in the slightest. “Too bad,” he drawled. “It’s still conditional. I have two mugs of coffee here. One’s decaf, the other is your precious liquid life. Sushi is on its way. You’re going to agree to eat your half of the order when it gets here and I’ll give you the caffeinated mug. You refuse, you get the decaf. And I’ve already got the caffeinated locked away in case you’re thinking about just making your own.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Or you could give me the caffeinated before I fire you.”

It was a bluff and they both knew it. “You couldn’t survive a week without me.” Which wasn’t true exactly, but things would be much more difficult without him. Besides, they had rather surprisingly become friends over their time working together. It would take a lot for the man to fire him.  

Tim still didn’t look convinced, so Jason resorted to wheedling. “Sushi for caffeine. It’s not a bad deal. You need to eat, whether you’re busy or not. And if you don’t, you’ll be going through caffeine withdrawals pretty soon and then you’re not going to get shit done.”

“God, _fine_. You’re the worst,” Tim huffed grumpily, and Jason quietly basked in the victory, not showing his smugness lest Tim decide to change his mind out of sheer pettiness. He wasn’t above it and they both knew it. Instead, he calmly set the caffeinated mug down on Tim’s desk and moved off with the reject coffee.

“Sushi will be here in a few.”

“Fine, fine,” Tim waved him off impatiently.

Jason rolled his eyes as he left the room, knowing Tim’s grouchiness would only last as long as it took to rip Randall’s motion apart.

Fifteen minutes later, Jason strolled back into Tim’s office, this time with two trays of sushi. He set them both down on the desk, one right by Tim’s elbow, and settled down in the chair across from him.

Tim looked up, making eye contact with him. Jason nodded pointedly to the sushi tray and cocked an eyebrow.

“You’re seriously just going to sit there and watch me eat?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Tim,” Jason retorted easily. “I’m also going to eat.”

Tim huffed, grabbing the chopsticks in irritation. He snagged one of smaller rolls and stuffed in his mouth without bothering with any of the accompaniments. He barely chewed the sucker before swallowing, and Jason doubted the man even tasted it. Another piece followed the first, just as quickly.

Jason, on the other hand, relaxed in his chair and ate slowly, appreciating not for the first time the quality of food he experienced as Tim’s assistant. The _frequency_ of food even. His life had done a one-eighty since they met, but even after two years, not having to worry about food, or about where and when he’d next get the money to pay for it, was still a novel experience. One he was perpetually thankful to Tim for. Even with his student loan bills, he was still living comfortably for the first time in his life.

He concentrated on enjoying his own sushi, and little by little Tim loosened up, mixing some wasabi into his soy sauce and taking the time to actually chew his food, even though his eyes stayed trained on his computer screen. By the time he was through, he was almost back to normal.

“I’m pretty sure extorting your boss is against company policy.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Only because the people who wrote it never had to babysit their boss.”

Tim shot him a narrow-eyed look. “I can still fire you.”

“You’re free to anytime you want, but good luck finding another assistant who can keep up with you,” Jason retorted easily.

Tim checked his watch and blinked in surprise. “Shit, it’s late.”

“Thus the reason for the extortion,” Jason replied glibly.

Tim leaned back in his chair and stretched a little. “I’m going to be here all night at this rate.”

“There’s several fresh suits in your closet, so at least you’ll have clean clothes.” Jason had sent one of the interns out to get them dry cleaned just the other day, which was perfect timing on his part. He’d say he deserved a raise, but Tim was already paying him above and beyond what any other executive assistant made. Then again, Jason wasn’t a traditional executive assistant.

Tim hummed. “You’re right, I can’t fire you.”

“Pity. I hear the severance package is the shit.”

Tim snorted and Jason smirked. He hated Randall with a passion, especially when the man managed to get his boss all tied up in knots. It was nice to see Tim relax a little, despite the stress he was under.

Jason stood up and stretched tiredly before heading out to his desk to grab his own copy of the motion Randall was putting forward and his reading glasses so he’d actually be able to read the small print. From his office, Tim called, “You heading home?”

“Course not,” Jason replied, moving back into Tim’s office. He sat back down and stretched his feet out under Tim’s desk, shoving the man’s legs aside to make room for his own. “Who would do your job for you if you went home?”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Oh, is that what you do as my executive assistant?”

“Yeah, about that. I think I need a title change. I was thinking… Jason Todd, professional babysitter.”

Tim scowled at him, not finding it as funny as Jason did. “You’re not my babysitter.”

“Oh yeah? What else do you call someone who’s in charge of making sure you’re fed and get to bed on time?”

“I’m a grown ass man, Jason. Just because you’re bossy as hell and I actually put up with it, doesn’t make you my babysitter.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t have that great a ring to it. Okay, how about this one. Jason Todd, professional cat herder.”

“And I’m not a cat.”

“You sure about that? You’re about as difficult to wrangle.”

“I’ve got one. Jason Todd, unemployed.”

Jason snickered. “Dead set against cat herder then? I guess I’ll have to keep thinking.”

Tim’s lips twisted slightly in the way that meant he was amused but trying to hide it. Jason counted it as a win. After a moment, Tim pressed. “Really though, it’s late. Go home.”

“Oh, I intend to. Tomorrow after the board meeting you are definitely giving me the rest of the day off. With pay.”

“I am, am I?” Tim challenged, but his lips were quirked in open amusement now.

“Yep. And I believe you’re buying my lunch for a few days as well. Since you’re so grateful for my help and all.”

“Well, I guess I can afford it,” Tim conceded, stretching out as well. Jason graciously shifted his legs over a little to give the other man some more room, and then they were silent, both intently focused on their work.

It was four in the morning before they found Randall’s act of sabotage hidden deftly in the massive document, and while Tim finetuned their counterattack, Jason went out to stretch his legs and grab them breakfast from the diner down the street, as well as the gourmet coffee from Tim’s favorite place. By eight, they were as bright eyed and put together as they were going to get.

“That son of a bitch,” Tim muttered as they headed to the boardroom. Technically Jason didn’t have to accompany him to these meetings, but the blinds for the conference room were always open, and Jason enjoyed watching Tim out maneuver Randall. On days like this, he lived for the annoyed expression on the older man’s face.

“Make him pay for it,” Jason told him, knowing full well Tim would. Randall’s days were fucking numbered and he was going to throw a goddamn party when he was finally gone.

Tim nodded firmly, then put on his game face as the elevator doors opened.

They met Randall outside the boardroom.

“Timothy, good morning,” the man said with a smarmy smile. Jason briefly fantasized about plunging a letter opener through his eye.

“Randall,” Tim greeted professionally, if a bit coolly.

The man looked Tim over with an obviously fake look of concern. “You’re looking a little tired this morning. Perhaps we should speak to the board about a sabbatical. Work shouldn’t come before your health, after all.”

Jason thought Tim actually looked pretty decent for someone who’d been up going on thirty hours, but Randall would have said something similar no matter how the young CEO looked. It was one of his favorite ways to undermine the man in front of the board—make it look like Tim couldn’t handle the stress or the workload, that he was too young, too fragile, too weak. It didn’t help that Tim often did pull ridiculous hours and didn’t rest as much as he should have, but Jason kept Tim rested enough that there was no real grounds for Randall’s claims.

Still, it annoyed the hell out of them both.

“Thank you for your concern,” Tim replied through one of the coldest smiles Jason had ever seen. “I’ve actually been getting plenty of rest, however.”

Randall just nodded and turned to look at Jason, frowning faintly in displeasure like he always did around him. “Oh, you still have the Crime Alley assistant?” he asked, looking amused. “Jameson, right?” He turned back to Tim, “Timothy, I know things might get a little combative at times, but I hardly think you need your bodyguard at board meetings.”

Jason took a steady breath in through his nose, imagined strangling Randall with his own tie, and let the breath out evenly. The theory that Jason had actually been hired as Tim’s bodyguard in disguise was a rather popular one in and around Drake Industries. Mostly because no one could fathom any other use Tim would have for someone from Crime Alley.

For the most part, Jason didn’t actively mind it. If that meant the majority of the classist assholes around here thought him potentially dangerous enough to steer clear of, all the better. But Randall was just downright irritating. Jason had only met the man a few dozen times, more than enough to know that the man knew his fucking name and position and was just pushing Tim’s buttons even more.

Tim’s eyes narrowed and he bristled a bit. “ _Jason_ ,” he said, emphasizing his name, “is my executive assistant.”

“Oh, that’s right. Strange, I never seem to remember that. Well? Shall we?” Randall said, gesturing to the boardroom door.

Tim smiled thinly and they both entered. Jason settled against the wall, a little ways down from the few other assistants that had accompanied their bosses, and allowed himself a small smirk. This was going to be good.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the board members to arrive, and then doors were closed. Time for business and Randall’s utter demise.

Jason watched through the open blinds, smirk growing on his face. Randall’s pompous expression lasted right up until Tim started to speak and then fell away quickly. After that, his expression grew increasingly sour. Jason flat out grinned as Tim delivered what must have been a hell of a verbal thrashing based on the detached disdain on his face. He couldn’t help the quiet snicker at the look of pure hatred Randall shot him in return. The other assistants gave him somewhat perturbed looks, but Jason didn’t give a damn. This right here made the whole of last night worth it.

When the meeting was over, Randall was the first one out. Jason didn’t bother hiding his too sharp grin. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Randall.”

The scowl he got from the man only made him smile wider. He waited for Tim to exit the room and they moved silently to the elevators. Once the doors were closed and it was just the two of them, Tim let himself grin. “Enjoy yourself?”

“Sure did,” Jason replied with the same sharp grin. “The look on his fucking face when he walked out.” He chuckled. “I want it framed.”

Tim hummed, looking exceedingly pleased with himself, and rightly so. “Definitely should have gotten a picture.” The elevator opened up onto their floor and Jason followed Tim back to his office, smirking as the man shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed away his tie.

“So, you heading home then?” Tim asked, finally relaxed and happy after their victory.

“Yep. And so are you. A car is waiting downstairs for you.”

The happy look vanished from Tim’s face and an annoyed one took its place. “ _What_.”

“Home. You’re going. And you’re not driving, because the adrenaline is going to wear off in about ten minutes and you’re going to get sleepy. So get your stuff together.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed. “I have things to do, Jason.”

“Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow, and you know it,” Jason replied firmly. “We’re both going home, Tim. I’m just as stubborn as you are, and right now, I’m better rested so you might as well just accept it.”

It looked like Tim might argue, but when he opened his mouth, a giant yawn emerged instead. Jason smirked at his annoyed expression. “Fine,” he declared. “Nothing is vital anyway.”

“If it was, I wouldn’t be sending you home,” Jason replied, handing him back his jacket. Tim took it and went for his laptop, but Jason shook his head.

“The laptop stays here, Mr. Workaholic.”

Tim shot him a dirty look. “How are you simultaneously the best and worst executive assistant I’ve ever had?”

“Easy. I’m the only one you’ve ever had,” Jason pointed out. “If you’re back in here before 10am tomorrow, I’ll know.”

“Only because of your army of interns,” Tim muttered grouchily. “They’ve mutinied.”

It was true. While Jason did not have any friends within his peer group at the company, he had managed to win over almost all the interns in their office, and now they did his bidding. He’d also been careful to cultivate good relationships with all of the members of the day and night security teams. Between the two, Jason could pretty much get anything he wanted the moment he needed it. It served him well working for Tim.

“Don’t forget security,” he added helpfully as they stepped back into the elevator, this time heading for the ground floor. He was pretty sure it would be the first time Tim saw the sun in days. “I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere, Tim.”

His boss shook his head. “Seriously, you are best and worst assistant a guy could have,” Tim said again. “That should be your new title. Jason Todd, the best and worst executive assistant.”

Jason laughed at the thought of that on a business card or his resume. “I’ll take it.”


End file.
